Gel as an insulating material for high-voltage technology

Compared with conventional insulating materials, gels have some promising properties that make them interesting for use in medium- and high-voltage engineering. Compared to liquid insulating materials, such as mineral oil, gels are leak-proof and environmentally friendly; compared to classic potting compounds, gels are more flexible, resistant to aging and easy to process. Theimportant properties of gels from the point of view of high-voltage technology are, in addition to their high electrical strength  , their good thermal stability, a high degree of elasticity and their pronounced inherent tackiness, which promises considerable advantages over other insulating materials, especially in the area of interfaces subject to high electrical loads.

The Department of Systems and High-Voltage Engineering has been working in this field since 2001. The following basic research objectives were pursued:

• Phase 1: 2001-2005  The behavior of silicone gel under high electric field strengths (dissertation G. Finis).
• Phase 2: 2006-2010 Micro hollow sphere filled silicone gel as an insulating material in high voltage technology (dissertation O. Belz)
• Phase 3: from 2011 Field-controlling gels with nonlinear conductivities
  

This research work was accompanied by application projects, which were worked on in cooperation with various industrial companies. This research focus was supported by two EUROSTARS projects, among others. (E!4227 ELTGEL; E!6387 GRADCAB)